


A World Without You

by ChahanChi



Category: Free!
Genre: Feelings Realization, Fluff and Angst, He needs love, How Do I Tag, Light Angst, M/M, Poor Rin, give my boi some love pls, has a happy ending, i mean just a tad bit what with rin disappearing off the face of the earth and all, idk how to tag, the entire world did a thing to make makoto realize feelings, this is where makoto comes in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-02 00:51:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15785589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChahanChi/pseuds/ChahanChi
Summary: Rin walks out in the middle of an argument with Haru. Makoto follows him and it leads to a late night conversation at the beach.“…Maybe it’s better if I didn’t exist at all”Makoto wakes up the next day to exactly that.





	A World Without You

The day started out normal. Makoto did his daily chores and other duties from morning till afternoon and as always, ended the day with a visit to Haru’s home to check up on him and hang out.

Now that Rin had returned and had finally reconciled with the group, Makoto was delighted to include hanging out with Rin as well at the end of his day.

Sometimes it would be the whole group all gathering in the house, to play games talk and continue the banter that always went on with everybody around.

These were the days Makoto wished would never end.

Today, it was only the three of them. Makoto, Haru and Rin, with Rin and Haru once again butting heads while Makoto watched from the sidelines.

Even their argument started innocently enough. Rin lost twice to Haru in the latest video game he bought and so started the name calling. Haru replies in his own flat and bored fashion, and thus continued their light hearted bickering. That was, until it was no longer light hearted.

How it went from winning the video game to their futures, Makoto couldn’t even keep track but now instead of the friendly teasing air, the tension had thickened and the room seemed colder.

“Haru, you NEED to think about what you’re going to do after this. Each day you spend in that pool without thinking about it, the more you’re wasting everything you have. Soon it will be too late,” Rin had brought up, and Haru’s eyes narrowed.

“I’ll think about it when I think about it.”

“HARU STOP BEING SO IMMATURE GROW UP! You haven’t changed at all since we were kids!” Rin sneered and Haru scoffed back at him.

“Yeah you know all about growing up huh? Moving to Australia and leaving everything behind.”

Mentioning Australia seemed to have struck a nerve in Rin, but he catches himself from saying anything, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

“Haru this isn’t about me going to Australia. This is about what you’re going to do after we graduate and we leave that school pool behind. Hell, even Makoto is waiting on your answer before thinking of his own, so why can’t you do us all a favor and at least give it SOME thought?” Rin asks once more, holding onto Haru’s shoulders, trying to get Haru to listen to what he’s saying.

At the mention of his own name, Makoto flinches from where he was sitting down, still unsure where he could step in and stop this downward spiral from going any further.  Haru’s eyes shift over to him, and Makoto knows from when they exchanged glances that Haru was going to say something that was going to make everything worse.

“Stop butting into my own future like you know everything,” Haru brushed the hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t know anything about me, or Makoto or Nagisa. You left. You weren’t here for anything which would give you the privilege to tell us what to do.”

The room goes silent after Haru muttered those words, and even Makoto is in shock at the harshness of Haru’s tone. Haru must have had enough of this same argument over and over again but…

Rin looked really hurt this time.

“Oh…” Rin finally says after a long stretch of silence.

He takes a step backwards.

“…Okay then…”

Another step backwards.

“You’re right…”

Another step.

“I should just… go…”

And he disappears out the door.

With Rin finally gone, Haru lets out a sigh before walking towards the direction of the bathroom.

“Haru…” Makoto starts in a serious tone, but Haru is shaking his head.

“I need to go in the bath.”

Makoto takes this as Haru wanting to be alone, so instead Makoto stand from his seat on the couch to run out of the house in search of the fiery redhead.

“Rin!” Makoto calls out, huffing as he searches for any sign that his friend was in this direction. Makoto wonders what kind of training he went through in order for him to have been able to run that fast.

Makoto’s determination pays off as he spots a lone figure sitting on the sand at the beach, which maybe should have been Makoto’s first choice with all his friends  being water obsessed.

He takes a deep breath before the stride to sit next to his friend, half because of the ocean before them, and the other half because of what Rin might say. Rin was unpredictable after all.

“Hey… you didn’t need to follow me you know. The ocean…” Is the first thing that Rin brings up, and despite the problem at hand, is touched to know that Rin still cares enough to think about details like that.

Makoto smiles brightly to show he appreciates Rin’s concern as he settles amongst the sand.

“I’ll manage.”

Makoto feels like Rin scoots closer to him, which could either be that he was cold, or dismissing it as a part of his imagination.

“You’re probably here to fix things for him like you always try to do huh? You and Haru make quite the pair…” Rin murmurs, and although his words would seem offensive, there isn’t any malice in his tone whatsoever. It was closer to something like wistfulness.

“Haru…he doesn’t mean it. He was just fed up with all these people who hound him about it…” Makoto starts cautiously, and Rin sighs.

“I know he doesn’t mean it…kinda. But he does have a point.”

Rin stares at the waves and Makoto thinks he’s really beautiful with the moon shining and the serious expression he wears, but if this sadness is the price Makoto had to pay to see a rare sight he’d rather not see it that often.

“I don’t regret going to Australia… but I do regret not being here. I never got to grow up with you guys… to play pranks with Nagisa, or to push Haru into the pool, or to have your gentle smile aimed at me when I’d do something right…”

He glances at Makoto for a quick moment there, and Makoto could feel his cheeks warm when he sees how gentle Rin stares, before he quickly turns away, his cheeks reddening as well.

“…but yeah. I didn’t get to experience those with you, and the gap where I was gone in your lives is pretty big. I’ll always be out of place. Even in group pictures my uniform would be different to the point I stick out like a sore thumb,” Rin laughs, but Makoto doesn’t laugh with him.

“I guess I just can’t come back one day and continue where it all left off… all I do is crash in your lives, fuck up everything, break the balance and leave. I’ll cause trouble for Haru, for everyone…and especially for you.”

“W-wait…Rin what do you mean?” Makoto finally finds his voice. What is Rin saying when he says he causes trouble, especially for him? Rin may be head strong and stubborn and a bit rough with his words, but Makoto knows more than anybody, the behind his cold exterior is a person who cares more about his friends than himself.

 

Rin was the opposite of selfish. He went to Australia and left them, but Makoto knew that it wasn’t for blind ambition, but for his father who’s dreams had not come true. Although his words are harsh to Haru, it’s because Rin worries about the life Haru will live, and he doesn’t want Haru to waste away all the opportunities he had and to have regrets like Rin does.

 And of course, the Rin who cares about Makoto when Makoto was only content to support from the sidelines.  Makoto is grateful to Rin, who never forgot about him, who always asked about his well being, even at the times where there were bigger things going on.

Those red eyes that focus on him telling him ‘ _I see you’_ was all he needed to convince Makoto that Rin was special.

 These negative words that are sprouting from Rin of all people, one of the toughest people that Makoto has ever known, doesn’t sit right with Makoto at all.

He wants to stand up and shout at Rin that he’s wrong. That he’s a beautiful and kind person, and even when he left they, or well at least Makoto never once thought of him as a stranger. That maybe Makoto would think about Rin and miss him when he was gone for all those years, and instead of fading out of his life, it was more like he tore a whole and it was missing ever since.

Makoto wanted to tell him all of these things, but he didn’t, because next thing he knew, Rin’s lips were on his.

Rin was kissing him.

Makoto could feel how cold Rin’s lips were, and how they shook just a tiny bit, and the traces of tears, but he couldn’t catch anything else as Rin had pulled away as quickly as it had happened.

Rin jumps and scrambles to stand up, eyes wide clearly shocked with what he just did.

“S-see…I’m fucking this up again…I’m…I-I’m so sorry Makoto…”

“Rin…”

“…Maybe it’s better if I didn’t exist at all.”

Those were the last words that Makoto heard from Rin as he turned and ran away.

If the last this he saw were tears in Rin eyes, Makoto couldn’t be sure, neither could do anything as his world faded to black.

\-------------------------------------------------

“-RIN!”

Makoto shouts with a start as he scrambles to his feet. When he looks around, he realizes that he was no longer on the beach, but in the comforts of his own home, his own room.

“…Rin…” he murmurs once more to himself as he touches his lips.

Was all of that a dream? Rin sharing “weaknesses” he would usually never admit to anybody to Makoto of all people? And then…kissing him on the lips like that. Makoto swears he could almost taste the traces of tears that remained, but if it wasn’t a dream, how did he end up in his own bed?

“Oh Makoto you’re awake!” A voice from behind him calls out, and Makoto quickly turns his head and sees his mother poking her head through the door.

“You had the twins so worried last night you know! They tried to stay up to greet you by the door  until they fell asleep only to find out you were blissfully sleeping in your room the entire time! You didn’t announce you were home, you should know by now how those kids look up to you…” His mom began her lecture, going on about “how to be a good brother” and “this is what happens when people grow into their rebellious stage”, but Makoto had tuned her out at one point as he tried to process the information.

If he was already sleeping in bed when his mother found him, it doesn’t answer whether or not the events from yesterday even happened. But then again, she also said that he was out for a long time last night. The mystery remained and Makoto was perplexed.

“…and hopefully you would be more responsible next time, even if you and Haru are childhood friends and you go to his house all the time you should tell us if you’re going to be staying out late. Speaking of that boy, he’s outside waiting for you saying something like ‘apologize’ but I wasn’t so sure, I mean he’s always been a quiet boy… has he been eating? Maybe I should cook something…” Makoto’s mother has gone on another spiel or ramblings like any caring mother would, but Makoto does a double take.

“-Wait! Mom! Haru is here?” Makoto finds a good time to interrupt her monologue.

“Ah yes he’s in the living room. I came here to tell you, but I suppose I got a bit side tracked…” His mother giggles light heartedly, and Makoto sighs at her antics.

“A-alright, I’ll be right out after I get dressed. Thanks mom.”

When the door to his bedroom shuts, Makoto feels his knees weaken and he sits back down on his bed.

The first thing he wanted to do was to confront Rin about last night. Whatever that conversation was, Makoto knew it was important, significant and a game changer. Although, now that Makoto thought about it, he had no idea what to say.

And then he’d see Rin’s face in his mind, his chest would tighten. The words Rin exchanged last night sounded so…sad. And lonely. It’s true that maybe the focus was more on other people; the one’s who he “left behind” so to speak…like Haru. Makoto was guilty of this as well.  Maybe they should have been more aware that Rin was hurting too. Although he hid it with bravado and fierce words, last night proved that it hurt him even if he acted like it didn’t.

 

Rin’s eyes probably is what hurt Makoto the most. Water was what Haru and Rin loved. It was almost a part of them. But seeing the water welling up in his eyes, as if it was extinguishing the fire that used to be there made Makoto want to wipe it away and keep it out of his sight.

All of these, and then the kiss.

That kiss…was replaying in his mind over and over again. As if maybe if he watched it a thousand times he would finally understand it’s meaning. The kiss alone could speed up his heart rate by the thousand times he’s watched it, if it weren’t for the words that came after it.

_“S-see…I’m fucking this up again…I’m…I-I’m so sorry Makoto…”_

Makoto clenches his hand into a fist and his eye brows have furrowed into a frown.

_“…Maybe it’s better if I didn’t exist at all.”_

Makoto was never a violent person, but he suddenly felt the urge to hit something. Or anything. Just to ease all this tension and confusion surrounding him like a fog. The sense of wrongness made him feel queasy, and he thinks that it’s maybe for the best he doesn’t speak to Rin yet.

He sighs deeply, wishing the heaviness could have disappeared into the air.

Yes. Until he could sort out his thoughts, maybe talking to Haru would help him out.

\------------------------------------------------------

 

“….”

“…”

“…”

Maybe the term “talking” to Haru wasn’t the best choice of words Makoto thought as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Haru seemed to be stewing in silence until Makoto would break it, just like they usually would.

Although this time, Makoto didn’t know exactly what to say, and he can’t recall a time where their friendship seemed to be this tense and stiff. Talking to Haru was supposed to be easy for him, so not being able to understand him right now was a new thing.

“So… about yesterday…” Makoto sighs, might as well getting straight to the point.

“…You might have gone a bit too far,” Makoto chides him and Haru’s eyes shift to break contact.

Makoto has always taken Haru’s side no matter what, but seeing Rin like that last night made Makoto feel like he couldn’t do that this time.

_“You’re probably here to fix things for him like you always try to do huh? You and Haru make quite the pair…”_

Again, Rin’s words seem to be haunting him.

Haru and Rin may have always had something in between them because of their rivalry, but last night told Makoto that not even Haru knew that side of Rin. Makoto saw all of it, and now he felt oddly protective of the red head, even against his own best friend.

“I’m sorry…I guess I shouldn’t have said that. I was just in a bad mood,” Haru admits, and Makoto’s glad Haru had calmed down enough to be guilty of his harsh words.

Makoto offers him a kind smile.

“I’m glad that you’re apologizing for it… but I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

When Makoto says that, Haru tilts his head in confusion.

“Who else should I be apologizing to?”

Oh. Just when Makoto thought he could be proud of his friend, his pride must be getting in the way so much so that Haru still refuses to make up with Rin. It makes Makoto feel a tad bit disappointed.

“Haru! That isn’t nice! You and Rin are good friends… don’t you think that’s a bit too much?” Makoto scolds trying to get to his friend, but Haru only seems to get more confused as he shakes his head slowly.

“I don’t understand…”

Makoto knows Haru well enough to know the next words weren’t going to be pretty.

For the nth time, Makoto gets another shock.

“…Who’s Rin?”

\----------------------------------------------------

“Haru what do you mean who’s Rin!? It isn’t a nice joke!” Makoto reacts, already standing up and clearly upset.

“Makoto, tone down your voice…” Haru is using his soft “pacify Makoto he’s freaking out” voice, because Makoto’s voice has pitched up sound close to panic, and he was speaking loudly enough that his mom had poked her head out of the kitchen in worry.

Haru gives her a reassuring smile, signaling that everything was FINE, her son was definitely NOT having a panic attack in their living room, he was just trying some new breathing exercises for swimming and that please don’t come over and start fretting and then shoving food down their throats to “calm them down.” Haru wasn’t sure if Makoto’s mom got all that, but at least all she does is give a worried glance in their direction before retreating back into the kitchen.

When he turns back to Makoto, he seems to have calmed down his breathing somewhat and has seated back in his chair, albeit stiffly, and a glassy eyed look has overtaken his entire face.

Haru has no idea why the hell asking a question like that caused such an erratic outburst from his best friend. In all their years of knowing each other since they were in diapers, he hasn’t actually seen this level of panic in the green eyed boy. The closest he’s ever witnessed was when they thought that Ran had fallen into the deep level of the pool and was drowning.

It was the kind of reaction that Makoto reserved only for the most treasured of people in his life. But if that was so, how come Haru had never heard of this “Rin” guy before? If he was this important enough to Makoto to warrant this emotion from him, how come he has never met him?

It made Haru extremely concerned, but because Haru had no idea how to really talk about things like feelings and stuff, the best he could do was give a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

______________________________________

Although Haru didn’t say anything, Makoto was grateful for his concern in his own Haru way. If Makoto was honest with himself, he actually kind of expected something like this when he woke up.

The odd events that happened that night, and then waking up to a strange feeling of wrongness, as if he was standing on a boat. Makoto knew that something wasn’t right, and Haru’s question confirmed it for him.

_“…Maybe it’s better if I didn’t exist at all.”_

Somehow, what Rin said had come true.

Makoto didn’t know how, didn’t know why, but it came true and he was living in a world where nobody but himself knew the red headed teen.

Even if Makoto expected it, he still couldn’t stop himself from feeling all the anxiety hit him at once when Haru confirmed everything.

 It’s such a terrible feeling to wake up one day and have a friend just disappear into thin air without a single trace. Especially for someone as memorable, as special as Rin was. What was the worst, was the fact that nobody remembered him.

Truly, last night revealed that this was Rin’s fear, and it had come true. He was forgotten, he was deemed as unimportant, as something that never made an impact in anybody’s lives. It’s what hurt Makoto the most, because he KNEW that wasn’t true. Makoto knew about everything that made Rin special. Maybe he always knew it subconsciously, but now they were all coming back in waves.

The way he’d give a sharp smirk before jumping into the water. That small smile he’d try to hide when his teammates and friends did something hilarious, but he didn’t want them to know he was amused. The way he’d tie up his hair in a little pony tail when he had to study for an English exam as he murmured the sentences softly to himself. The way he would hesitate before giving a head pat, or a pat on the shoulder because he needed to make sure it was okay with the person first.

The list went on and on, and Makoto was actually kinda surprised that he knew so much about him. But when he started, the thoughts wouldn’t stop.

He… really missed Rin.

It was different than the time Rin was in Australia. At least then, Makoto could reach him. It was difficult because of the circumstances, but it wasn’t impossible. And Makoto always had hope that he would come back to them. That even when apart, he could still feel the presence beside him.

Here, Makoto felt nothing but the cold wind. There weren’t even any windows open in his house, but Makoto shivered all the same. Rin was gone, and Makoto didn’t know if he was even going to return. If he wasn’t sitting down, he probably would have his legs give way from beneath him.

All these terrifying and sad thoughts running through Makoto’s mind, yet here Haru stood before him, not having a clue with what was going on in his mind. Had Haru, who had the most intense rivalry with Rin, who Makoto actually thought was closer to Rin than he was, not remember a single memory, when Makoto had them burned into his brain?

Makoto clenched his fist. Did not a single thing that Rin did stay on this earth? Not even a tiny detail that would be impossible to erase from their lives?

And then an idea clicked.

It was a simple one, but it was worth a shot.

“Haru!” Makoto calls out with new found determination, and Haru jumps at the abrupt mention of his name when Makoto springs into action from the weird depressed funk he was in just a second ago.

“When someone has amnesia, or forgets something, what do we do to bring their memory back?” He asks excitedly, and Haru shrugs.

“…I guess bring stuff that might jog their memory?” Haru finally decided to humor his friend that he thinks might have a little screw loose now, but is still his best friend. Makoto cheers like a child.

“YES! EXACTLY! We just need to take you guys to places Rin liked! Then maybe he’ll come back,” Makoto explains with glee, grabbing Haru’s wrist and walking out the door, phone already in hand to contact Nagisa. If anybody had the best shot of remembering him, it would be Haru and Nagisa.

“…Who is Rin???” Haru asks once again, but instead of a negative reaction, he gets a cheerful chuckle.

“Oh you’ll know who he is soon!”

Haru shakes his head in awe. Is this what everyone felt when he tried to jump into the fountain at the mall and into the aquarium? Has all this swimming finally pushed Makoto into the deep end? All of Haru’s questions remained unanswered as he was dragged out of the house.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

“M-makoto please… can we go home now?” Nagisa was trying not to show the whine in his voice, but it was very hard. So very hard.

They have been walking through the entire town for _hours_. Here Nagisa was, minding his own business, enjoying a well deserved break from school work and practice, but then he had Haru and Makoto busting down his door and taking him on some weird tour around the town that he has seen many many times.

It was the kind of weird thing he’d expect from Haru and Rei, not _Makoto_ of all people. But yet he stands on the side walk of an arcade holding 14 shark merchandise in his arms as Makoto plays the crane game _again_ to win him a 15 th one.

To his right, he spots Haru calmly sipping from a Shark Themed Sippy cup they got from their trip to the aquarium, and covering his eyes from the sun with a hat with the big bright letters of “A U S T R A L I A” embroidered on the front and back. 

They had asked the city hall for any “Matsuoka Family” on the register, and although there was one, they only had one female child and they had moved out of town years ago. Then they visited every pool in the vicinity (which really, was unfair for him when he didn’t want to practice, but Haru was entirely on board with this idea. Figures.)

Then they had gone to a music store to listen to music none of them liked. And then they ran into some Australian foreigners that FOR SOME REASON Makoto decided to strike a conversation with. He sucks at English, so Nagisa and Haru did most of the work. Which was hell. They went to aquariums and arcades and all these stuff that normal Makoto wouldn’t invite them to out of the blue and honestly, it was starting to freak Nagisa out.

Haru was of no help to him, and he just went along with this the entire day. Nagisa was a fun and energetic boy. But honestly, getting dragged around without any clue as to why and doing all of this stuff was exhausting, even for him.

“Do you remember anything?” Makoto asks hopefully, handing him the 15th Shark plushy, this one had a top hat and a monocle and a tiny dandy mustache and maybe Nagisa would have thought it was cute if it was the first shark he saw today. (It wasn’t)

“Honestly, I’m trying to remember what I did wrong to deserve this. I promise I’ll do my laps and warm ups next practice…please free me from this shark hell,” Nagisa was half begging now, and Makoto seemed to deflate a bit.

“…Makoto it’s starting to get late…maybe we should get on home,” Haru chides and Nagisa feels like he could wrap him in a big bear hug.

“But…” Makoto looks really sad now, and Nagisa did feel really bad that he couldn’t cheer up his friend. Even with this entire day, Nagisa cared a lot about Makoto, and he shouldn’t ever feel this sad.

“H-hey… we can go to more places tomorrow mmkay? You said Rin guy really likes meat right? I could go for some Korean BBQ tomorrow!” Nagisa pats Makoto lightly to cheer him up a bit, and Makoto gives him a small smile.

“…Yeah alright. I’ll see you guys tomorrow! I’m so sorry for imposing on you guys like this today,” Makoto waves lightly as they go their separate ways.

When they’re finally gone, Makoto lets his smile fall. He looks down and he sees the newest and last plush he got from the arcade. He was lucky enough to get two in one since they were sticking to each other, and he got a shark and orca pair. Looking at them gave him pain for some reason.

He holds the shark close to his chest.

\--------------------------------------

It’s night when Makoto finds himself at the same beach side that he sat previously with someone else beside him. Now the ocean was no longer calm but rough. And now he was alone.

1 day. 1 day, and Makoto’s entire world had changed. He had changed.

He brings a knee closer to his chest as he stares out at the ocean spread out before him. Once again, the ocean is witness to the darkest moments of Makoto’s life.

Every time he went to place that reminded him of Rin but without him there, every time Haru and Nagisa gave him that look, every minute that he knew Rin was still gone… it added a weight to his heart. So much so that now Makoto felt like if he were to walk into the ocean right now, no matter how good of a swimmer he was, he would sink right down to the bottom.

_“…is this what my life will be like from now on…?”_

Makoto murmurs to himself.

Mourning for a death with no body, no “in loving memory” just…nothing.

And just like that, all the feelings seem to pile up and explode in his face as his eyes widen. 

This was the cruelest way to ever realize something as Makoto’s heart beats faster and faster to the tempo of the rough waves.

_“…P-please…give him back to me…”_

Makoto whispers to the ocean, voice wavering and cracking and fragile.

_“…I…”_

_“….I love him…”_

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“…diot…stupid…a stupid idiot for sure…” Makoto groans at the insults so early in the morning.

He just figured out he was in love with his best friend when it was too late because he was gone, and he didn’t need the reminder he was an idiot from someone like…

Someone….

Like….

Makoto’s eyes are suddenly open wide as he scrambles to his feet, but in such a rush, he simply trips all over himself and gets a mouth full of sand that he begins to cough up.

From behind him, he hears that amused laugh that he missed so much…that he _loved_ so much.

“R-rin…”

Makoto is too scared to turn around, in case he sees nothing. He adjusts his eyes to the bright light, and sees the ocean, calm and gentle. He can hear birds cawing in the distance, and now also a huff from behind him. He was still too scared to see if it was true.

But then he feels a hard punch in his shoulder, and he was forced to make a 180 before ducking just in time before another right hook can hit him in the face.

“YOU ARE AN IDIOT MAKOTO TACHIBANA! Only YOU would stay here and sleep BESIDE the ocean that you’re supposed to be SCARED OF!” Sharp words coming from an even sharper mouth kept on rambling more than rivaling his mother.

Makoto hears his voice, but has tuned out the words, and is instead staring at this boy that is standing before him.

“AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT DISEASES YOU CAN CATCH BEING OUT IN THE- OHMYGOD ARE YOU CRYING-“ Rin has stopped midsentence, as he looked in worry at the tears that were now continuously flowing through Makoto’s eyes.

Makoto was shaking as he brings a hand to touch Rin’s cheek, and automatically Rin blushes a bright red. He burns even brighter when Makoto envelops him into a tight hug. Rin attempts to blow up and struggle, but when he feels how much Makoto is trembling, he decides to just return the hug and pat him gently on the back as Makoto cries into his shoulder.

“See, I knew you shouldn’t have been this near to the ocean…” Rin mutters, thinking that’s why Makoto was acting so weird. He feels Makoto shake his head, and if it’s possible, hugs him even tighter. Makoto seriously doesn’t know his own strength, or maybe he forgot because Rin actually gasps a bit at the squeeze.

“No…there are things scarier than the ocean…”

Rin doesn’t understand how come Makoto was acting this way all of the sudden, so he just laughs nervously.

“Ahahaha…you’d think that I was gone forever! It wasn’t that long jeez!”

 _“You have no idea…”_ Is all Makoto can think as he doesn’t bother with a verbal response. It makes the hug become awkward real quickly, until finally Makoto lets go.

“…You came back,” Makoto states, brimming with happiness that was shaking him to the core.

Rin was gritting his teeth as he looked to the ground.

“Of course… it’s you.”

When the words come out of Rin’s mouth he squeaks and covers his mouth.

“R-really? Because it’s me?” Makoto has taken a step towards Rin, and said boy takes 2 steps backwards.

“I MEAN LIKE ONLY YOU WOULD BE STUPIDLY KIND ENOUGH TO SLEEP ON THE BEACH ON A COLD NIGHT LIKE LAST NIGHT, A-AND S-SINCE I LEFT YOU I-IT’D PROBABLY BE MY FAULT IF YOU FROZE TO DEATH!” Rin was panicking clearly, and Makoto couldn’t help but think he was adorable; just more things he promises to treasure more.

“Ah…and you left because…” Makoto bringing up the reason why Rin had ran off causes flashes of fear and embarrassment to cross Rin’s eyes, but Makoto was prepared for it.

Quicker than Rin could, he grabs the red head’s wrist and pulls him with enough force that he falls into Makoto’s chest.

“You’re not running away again… I won’t let you leave me anymore”

Rin tries to pull away from his grip, but he freezes at Makoto’s words.

“W-what do you mean… y-you aren’t… y-you…” Rin has lost the ability to speak, but his eyes flicker around frantically searching Makoto’s sure once, and Makoto really does see how vulnerable he can be.

The fear and the doubt were all present in his eyes, and Makoto wishes to erase all of it.

So he tilts Rin’s chin and leans in slowly to give him a gentle and soft kiss, much longer than that night they first kissed. It was before Makoto had realized his feelings, and so now that he had he wanted to do it right.

“I love you Rin. You’re so important to me… I really cannot live in a world without you”

 It took awhile and a lot for him to figure it out, but now that he was sure of his feelings, there isn’t a single day where he wouldn’t tell him that.

“Makoto what the fuck that was so cheesy…” Rin mutters, but he’s covering his face with his hands, but that blush and smile on his face were too big to be hidden just with that.

Sure it sounded a bit cheesy, but to Makoto, it was as real as Rin was now, and that’s really all he could ask for.

END

\---------------------------------------------------------

EXTRA

 

“I had a dream that 15 sharks kidnapped me and forced me to run laps. And their leader was a shark with this monocle, and mustache and this real big top hat that he’d throw at me if I started to swim slow…” Nagisa was muttering this between bites of Korean BBQ and Rei shakes his head.

“Sharks don’t have deposable thumbs to throw top hats.”

“REI IT SEEMED SO REAL!!” Nagisa sobs.

“It means you gotta swim faster!” Rin advises sagely, or well as sagely as he could with bits of meat in his mouth.

“So…you and Rin huh?” Haru says to Makoto, who was watching the scene fondly.

“Almost kinda seems like a dream,” Makoto replies and Haru nods in acknowledgement, before standing up and asking the waitress if they had any available mackerel.

“Dreams huh…” Makoto murmurs to himself, as he holds an orca and shark plushy in his hands.

“MAKOTO! GET OVER HERE! YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF FOOD! I’M A GREAT BOYFRIEND WHO SAVED YOU SOME, BUT MY RESOLVE IS WEAKENING!” Rin shouts from across the table, and Makoto smiles.

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

He puts the two plushies back in his bag.

**Author's Note:**

> Hiyo~ ChahanChi here! Thanks for reading this story! Usually, I usually only write stories for ships or fandoms that aren't really that popular (gotta give them some content too you know!) so I was honestly not sure if I wanted to write something for "free!" but this plot line came to me and really doesn't help I'm OBSESSED with this ship. 
> 
> I mean well technically...it's uh...less popular than other ships (even if there's actually a decent amount of content for it tbh) so I reasoned out with myself and this story was born!
> 
> Rin and Makoto are my faves, and I was kinda sad the Rin was kinda like uh...the..."bad...guy(?)" in season 1 and like awe what if poor bby is just sad. And then you knowww that tiny little Makorin we got from just one scene... yeah inspirations ahahaha~
> 
> ANYWAYS! I should stop talking! I talk to much! I'm sorry if it's a bit lengthy! and also maybe the ending sucks or smthn...(sometimes i also can't tell I mean I finished this at 3am) and then i actually got stuck on how to end it lmao. Also I think this is my longest one shot so far... Thanks again though! I hope you at least liked my little story!


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